


Going Back

by Morgane (smilla840)



Series: New Beginnings [4]
Category: 24
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Post season 5 AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-14
Updated: 2012-07-14
Packaged: 2017-11-09 23:15:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/459562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smilla840/pseuds/Morgane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack gets a call.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Going Back

The phone call came an afternoon. There had been nothing special about that day, nothing out of the ordinary. Certainly nothing that would indicate their world was about to spin out of order again.

Tony had been lounging on the couch staring out of the window – finally the sun was back, melting the left-over snow – when their emergency cell phone started ringing. He started, caught unaware by the sound. It was surprising really how quickly he had gotten used to the silence.

He and Jack stared at each other for a second before Jack jumped to his feet and unearthed the phone from where they kept it, always fully charged.

“Yeah,” Jack’s voice was slightly apprehensive and Tony tensed accordingly. Had they been found? Did they have to leave, start over somewhere new?

So he watched Jack’s face, waiting for a clue, ready to start packing the second he hang up and said the word – before, even. But Jack’s face relaxed, lighting up. So Tony forced a smile, pretending to be happy too. 

He couldn’t help wondering what it would mean. For them. For him.

 

They closed down the house, informed their neighbors they would be away for some time and could they look in on the place once in a while, and they were off. 

Jack was almost bouncy with excitement – although, being Jack, you had to know him fairly well to notice – and Tony couldn’t find it in himself to blame him. There was Kim to consider after all. And Audrey. Tony wouldn’t begrudge him that. In all honesty though, he would have been quite happy if that call had never come, no matter how selfish that may sound. Unlike Jack, there was nothing for him in LA, except loss and memories.

Suddenly, everything was moving fast. Within a day, they were on a plane to LA. A car picked them up and drove them to CTU where a welcoming comity was waiting. Bill told Jack how they had worked things out with the Chinese government as they moved forward, Tony trailing behind and listening with one ear, eyes fixed on the conference room ahead.

Sure enough, Chloe bustled out of it and hugged Jack enthusiastically, babbling that she was glad he was okay and back, and now she had to go back to work because those idiots never did anything right so she would see him later.

Tony hanged back, feeling oddly out of place. He could only watch as Jack embraced his daughter, their differences put aside for now. Past them, Audrey was staring at Jack, eyes brimming with joy and love. And Tony had seen enough. 

He slipped quietly out of the room and nodded to Bill before leaving CTU. His former employers had been thoughtful enough to put a car to his disposition and he took them up on it.

No one ever noticed.

Unsurprisingly, he found himself in front of the house he and Michelle had shared, realizing he had never asked where they had buried her. It wasn’t like he had thought he would ever get the chance to see her grave. But now, he wished he had. Maybe then he wouldn’t feel so out of touch with reality.

Their house had been sold to a new family and toys littered the yard. It was late though and its occupants were probably in bed. Just as well, Tony thought. They wouldn’t call the cops because a strange man was lurking in front of their house. It would be a bitch trying to explain his presence. Was he still legally dead? He hadn’t thought to ask either.

Sitting there in the dark, he tried to decide what he was to do now.

There was no doubt in his mind that given the opportunity, Jack and Audrey would rekindle their relationship. They had been great together and had been through rough patches before. They could make something out of this second – third – chance. After all, Jack had never professed any words of love to Tony, had never promised him anything. He didn’t deny Jack had feelings for him, but those were most likely of friendship, the sexual aspect brought on by their isolation. Put two lonely guys who appreciated each other together long enough and… right? Plus, they had only been … whatever they were… for a couple of months and Jack had been distant since they had gotten the news, avoiding his eyes and physical contact. Tony got the message, loud and clear: this was the end of their ‘relationship’. It was his own problem though: he had willingly chosen to ignore the fact that their enforced solitude wouldn’t last forever.

He would deal with it.

The way he looked at it, he had two options. He could pretend nothing had happened during their time together and go back to the easy friendship he had had with Jack before. Or he could go back to Wyoming and live there on his own. 

That second option was getting more and more appealing right now.

Finally he drove away, checking into the first motel that crossed his road. As he laid down on the bed, he really wished for a drink. But he had sworn to Michelle he would never touch another drop of alcohol again, and even though she wasn’t there to be disappointed in him, he didn’t intend to go back on his word.

\---

He had been sleeping when the door flew open. Acting on finely honed instincts, he was awake in seconds and rolled over, landing on the floor and crouching low in a defense position while he tried to assess the situation.

He just hadn’t counted on the invader being Jack as his breath was knocked out of him, the more compact man slamming into him and pinning him down.

“Fuck, Jack, what-”

But Jack wasn’t interested in words. His arms locked around Tony as he kissed him desperately. Then his lips moved to his jaw and neck, and Tony could hear him mumble broken words against his heated skin.

“You’re not leaving me. You can’t leave me. I won’t let you.”

Jack punctuated his words by biting down hard on Tony’s neck, causing him to cry out and buck against him, and fuck, how had he ever thought he could live without this?

Jack however didn’t need any encouragement as he started to frantically yank Tony’s clothes out of the way, not bothering with caution as he tore quite a few.

“Jack… Fuck, Jack,” Tony panted as he returned the favor. He was still in something of a daze, not sure this was really happening because why wasn’t Jack with Audrey? What was he doing here? How…

His questions melted away when Jack trusted against him, skin on skin, and fuck it was good.

“Mine mine mine,” Jack was saying over and over again in his ear. “Tony, please…”

Jack sounded so desperate and lost that Tony wanted to soothe him, make it all better, except it was too much, all too much, and he could only gasp back, “Yours, I’m yours, and you’re _mine_.”

It was all Jack needed though and he came, almost sobbing, a sound both beautiful and terrifying. Tony could only follow, moaning his name and holding him as he collapsed, shaking and trembling and clinging to Tony so hard there would be bruises. Tony kissed the top of his head gently, secured now in his place in Jack’s life as the other man gave himself over to Tony’s soothing caresses.

They slept.

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted at my livejournal.


End file.
